What Are You Doing to Go Green? - Vancouver Sun

June 10, 200812:00 AM PDT

Kaitlyn Ryan
This past weekend the Green Team visited the home of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Swangard Stadium where the Whitecaps took on the Portland Timbers. We set up a booth on the concourse level and began giving out our signature reusable bags to eager soccer fans. While the bags were free, there was one criterion that the people at Swangard had to meet before we gave them a bag. We wanted to know what they were doing to green the earth! The contributions people shared with us ranged from the very small (though everything helps!) to the very substantial.
We met a lady named Jose who operates a cafe on the UBC campus. She says the people who work there bring their own dishes, as well as recycle and compost. She insisted there was no reason why people can't compost food scraps such as coffee grounds. It was inspiring to hear that her admirable beliefs were reflected in the way she runs her own business.
One lady revealed to the Team that she turns off the lights in the school in which she works. She told us she does this even when people are still there just to save energy!
Mary Lynn Gottfred proved to us that she understands the value of water. She stated "after the rain goes, you have to buy water. After I'm done with it, I pour it into my plants." She thinks it a necessity to conserve and recycle the water we so often take for granted.
Bruce Milroy told the Team that his company, Budget Waste Inc. uses biodiesel to fuel its trucks. His company also removes construction waste and sorts through recyclable materials produced by construction sites! While this company is located in Calgary, it is making a notable difference on a large scale and should be commended.
One lady confessed she recycles religiously. The only things she refrains from recycling are plastic bags. She thinks they should be banned entirely in Canada, as she understands the level of harm they pose.
We greatly appreciated the people who visited us and divulged their ways in which they reduce their own environmental imprints. The Green Team truly thrives on hearing creative ideas on how to go green! We will try to incorporate as many of them as possible into our future events and even in our own lives.
Make sure you take a look at the photos of our wonderful volunteers handing out reusable bags and putting on an environmental trivia contest at half time on the field.
- full story along with photos at: http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/greenteam/archive/2008/06/10/what-are-you-doing-to-go-green.aspx